We were actually expecting the third instalment in the EP trilogy Ras Teo launched with 'Ion Man' and 'Up Fi Jah', but instead, Ras Teo and Roberto Sánchez surprise us with 'Soul Rebel'.
By Jah Rebel
For the tracks on this album, Sánchez recycled a series of riddims - a mix of his own productions and some by Phil Pratt - that he had previously used for albums with Alpheus, Glen Ricks, and Keith & Tex.
Roberto Sánchez: “In November 2018, Ras Teo came to Spain to visit me and to work at the Ark. By then we had already finished our first album together, the vocal and dub set called ‘Ten Thousand Lions’, and we were preparing a second album called ‘Moses And Aaron’, which will soon be released. The meeting at the studio was magical, full of vibes, and the sessions were pure fire. Teo voiced more than 72 tracks in less than two weeks. After exploring most of the roots reggae riddims at the Ark, I started playing him some of the minor key rocksteady riddims, the ones I had built for Alpheus and Keith & Tex. There is something spiritual in those riddims, and he captured the essence from the very first moment. ‘Soul Rebel’ and ‘Soul Rebel In Dub’ are the results of that meeting.”
The result is yet another thoroughly enjoyable album, one we can only stylistically describe as “rootssteady”, with personal highlights including title track ‘Soul Rebel’, riding the riddim of Keith & Tex’s ‘Same Old Story’, ‘King Of Israel’, over the riddim of Alpheus’ ‘Secret Rendezvous’ and starting with an excerpt of a speech by emperor Haile Selassie, and finally ‘Africa Is Rising’, for which Roberto Sánchez reworked the riddim of Alpheus’ ‘Far Away’.
And as Roberto already mentioned: as the icing on the cake, he once again delivers an outstanding dub version of the album!
Founder alongside Jah Shakespear who transitioned to this role in late 2014. Previously worked as critic and reporter, balancing passions for music and Haile Selassie spirituality.
April 29, 2025